Broom, check. Gloves, check. Hat, check. About the only thing my checklist last Sunday morning had in common with a pre-race check was the water bottle.

And instead of my chemistry-lab mix of proper carb-protein ratio, that bottle had straight and delicious Truckee tap water. Time to get it on for Truckee Trails Day!

Organized by the Truckee Trails Foundation (truckeetrailsfoundation.org), this annual event features volunteers turning out to help build and maintain the local trail network.

I was weakened by a cold and happy there would be plenty of work on the ever-expanding local paved trail network sweeping gravel and needles and tagging small trees for removal to improve sight lines. A stronger crew hit the Pacific Crest Trail for real trail building.

We spent the morning working our section of path in the Gray's Crossing subdivision, stopping to chat with many trail users enjoying the fruits of our not-so-hard labor. I was struck again by how a small amount of focused and organized effort by volunteers can make a real difference in the community — and inspired to do more by my colleagues who make it happen on a much greater scale than my Sunday morning.

To top it off we were treated to a fat barbecue at Regional Park. I'm not sure I earned the tasty burgers and hot dogs and cold drinks — and especially the yummy lineup of home-baked cookies and brownies. But that didn't stop me from digging in and thoroughly enjoying the food, people, conversation and perfect September Sunday.

The vibe was a mix of pride in a continually improving network of trails and paths linking the community together, and optimism and recognition of how much work remains.

Props to all the parties from the town to volunteers who are making the Truckee Trails and Pathways Master Plan a reality for our community. The efforts are inspiring and contributing to building and maintaining a resource that is easy to take for granted.

My contribution was minimal, but in this enterprise every little bit helps, and I'm looking forward to doing more. Maybe by next year I'll have actually earned that extra brownie.

— Team rider Andy Scott is the author of this week's Cyclepaths/Wild Cherries Racing column. Cyclepaths/Wild Cherries Racing is a Truckee-based cycling team focused on racing and local bike advocacy. For more information, results and upcoming events, visit www.cwcracing.org.